Petition Tag - state

There are alot of children in Essex county that wish they had a place they can go to just to get away from the streets and home life they are forced to live every day.

Maybe they can't talk to their parents, grandparents or whoever raised them... and they just need some one to listen.

I've been listing to these kids for the past 10 years and it's become my passion... with your help my passion and dream will come true.

Thank you

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August 3, 2006

Thank you very much for visiting our petition.

We must make changes to No Child Left Behind in order to improve the education system for all students.

By signing our petition, you are helping to give a voice to those students who are being "left behind."

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July 31, 2006

It is hereby requested for the immediate consideration of the future of stray dogs and cats.

With stray dogs and cats' complete concern and welfare considered it is hereby requested for the state of Missouri to mandate for ALL person(s) to be required to be responsible for their pet(s). This to be accomplished by the following:

(1) To list on yearly personal property in each county the total number of dogs, puppies, cats, kittens. For each dog, puppy, cat, kitten spayed/neutered, personal property tax WILL BE EXEMPT. Each dog, puppy, cat, kitten NOT spayed/neutered will be assessed personal property tax of 5 per cent of total personal property.

NOTE: This tax will be placed in a special fund to be used by city pounds/county shelters/humane societies to spay/neuter their strays.

END RESULT - Future strays will not be born to end up alongside country roads to die or to breed with other strays. City Pounds, shelters/humane societies will not be overrun with these unwanted strays.

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July 26, 2006

Fox 8 Morning News (Cleveland) aired a story on July 21, 2006 in which a local nursing mother (who wishes to remain anonymous) was refused permission to nurse her baby before paying for her purchases at the Aeropostale store in Great Northern Mall (which is owned by Westfield).

The mall representative who spoke to the reporter indicated that this kind of situation is why they put in the Family Room.

Westfield Corp. owns four area malls in addition to the malls they own in twelve other states and three other countries (the UK, Australia and New Zealand).

Some of those areas have much stronger protections for families who breastfeed in public than Ohio does, especially New York State (where Westfield owns two malls) - there the right to breastfeed is written into the Civil Rights section of the state laws, with specific penalties if violated.

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July 21, 2006

The U.S needs more pet hotels.

Most people don't feel good about leaving their pet in a kennel or with a friend while they go on vacation. Pet hotels could help solve this problem.

There should be at least one in every state but it would be better if there was more. The pets need to have lots of attention and not feel lonely while their "parents" are away.

You don't want to come home and have a sick pet.

So, please sign this petition to put up more pet hotels!!

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July 17, 2006

Idaho prisons are severely overcrowded.

Instead of sending our prisoners out of state and costing taxpayers thousands of dollars we need to reevaluate our sentencing procedures.

Instead of sending people to prison for minor probation and parole violations such as dirty UA we need to look towards rehabilitation instead.

If we released all of the first time parole violators with non-violent crimes, there would be no need to send any of our prisoners out of state.

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July 12, 2006

There are many reasons why i believe the abolishing of Private schools would make our society fairer, more cohesive and tolerant.

Firstly, it would make equal opportunities a reality instead of a mere pipe dream envisaged by unrealistic MPs, a third of whom were educated privately themselves (compared to two thirds in the Lords).

A study by academics from London University's Institute of Eduction founfd that Private school puplis are more likely to achieve better qualifications and end upi in high-paying jobs than State School students atudents who were just as bright and from similar backgrounds.

It goes on to report that only 7.6% of the academically able state school students in the study were earning more than £70,000 in their thirties compared to 28.6% who attended private shcools as fee payers

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This petition is now closed.

July 2, 2006

Assam to Asom what's in a name?

Mr. Chandra Prasad Saikia, ex President of Oxom Xahityo Xobha, proposed, through the Assamese magazine "Gariyoshi" that the name ASSAM is not an indigenous one, and claimed that it is a word coined by the British during the colonial rule for their own convenience and therefore the name ASSAM should be changed.

Without discussing the merits of the suggestion with any official literary organization or any other entity, last February the government of Assam took the decision to change the name of the State from Assam to Asom. This decision was based on the above suggestion. The ruling congress party took this political decision before the assembly election.

This shows that we not only have serious problem in practicing the democratic values in Assam, but it also shows that there are some grave misconceptions even among the educated people in Assam regarding the origins of the names of the state: OXOM and ASSAM. This is rather a very sad and pathetic situation.

Mr. Chandra Prasad Saikia is wrong in his assumption that the word Assam is coined by the British. Local newspapers like Amar Oxom etc are asking for an open debate on the issue. Recently the joint Xahityo Xobha Monso of Assam also took a resolution against the spelling ASOM.

The Tai-Ahom and the Buddhist organizations in Assam are sending petitions to Government of India against the spelling ASOM. Moreover the decision of the Assam Government is still pending and it has not issued any notification to that effect.

No news paper from Assam has actually written any Editorial on the issue worth its name. Respected and prestigious English language news papers like The Assam Tribune and Sentinel, instead of playing a leadership role in the debate for the right spelling of the word ASOM or ASSAM have started using the name Asom.

By this blind adoption, The Assam tribune and Sentinel are trying to make it a fait accompli.

In a democracy there is no room for a hasty decision without any public debate to pass a political resolution. The government of Assam should give the arguments for their proposal to change the name of the State. It seems in Assam those who speak, they don't know, and those who know, they don't speak.

As there are several arguments in defence of the name Assam which existed before the British came to India, the Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS), we are voicing our strong opposition to the Government of Assam's hasty decision without any public debate to pass a political resolution for the use of the spelling ASOM.

Mr. Chandra Prasad Saikia who initiated the name change has not come forward to defend his contention. The cabinet decision by itself does not become automatic implementation. As the name Assam is enshrined in the Constitution, to change the name requires a Constitutional amendment.

For this reason we from the Friends of Assam and Seven Sisiters (FASS) would like to submit a petition to the to the President of India, Prime Minister, Union Law Minister, Governor and Chief Minister of the State resenting the recent move of the State Government to respell the name of the State as 'Asom' in English.

Please find enclosed the petition we are trying to push through. We know that this change does not necessary affect each one of you and that it may not impact your individual situations but we do hope you will on principle support us in asking the Indian government to react.

In the event that you do support this letter please reply before 99-99-9999
with a yes. We shall then include your name in the petition to the Prime
Minister of India.

Counting on your support.
Rajen Baruah, Huston Texas, USA
Partha Gogoi
Ram Sarangapani
Shantikam Hazarika, Guwahati, India
Wahid Saleh, Berkel en Rodenrijs, The Netherlands

On behalf of Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters

PS: If you want to have extra information on this subject, please download two papers written by Rajen Baruah of FASS. The papers may be found at http://www.indiawijzer.nl & for more inofrmation contact the author of this petition.

1. On the origins of the names of Oxom and Assam in English. (http://www.indiawijzer.nl)

2. On the origins of the names of Oxom and Assam (Assamese text). (http://www.indiawijzer.nl)

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To: Editors of the BBC

We the Tamils are disheartened and hurt by the BBC's covering of the issues pertaining to the island of Sri Lanka. The issues mentioned below are in response to reports on the www.news.bbc.co.uk website and BBC News 24.

These include but not limited to:

1.Massacre of civilians in a bus using claymore mines, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The BBC's Sri Lankan correspondent, Dumeethra Luthra reported on the massacre of innocent civilians in a claymore mine attack in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka and the ensuing aerial attacks by the Sri Lankan government on Tamil positions on BBC News 24 (the video link of the same report on the website is titled 'Why air strikes have been resumed' in the article 'S Lanka air force steps up raids').

In this report she states that the LTTE is "the Key candidate" for this atrocity. She fails to mention the Sri Lankan State forces that have been accused by the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission of extra judicial killings of innocent Tamil civilians in the NE of the island.

As of the 24th of May over 190 Tamil civilians have been killed since the first Geneva talks held on the 22-23 of February 2006. The GOSL (Government of Sri Lanka) has a history of orchestrating violence against the Tamil civilians (1956, 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983 anti-Tamil riots).

The LTTE for its part has been accused of targeting Government soldiers but has not been accused of targeting innocent civilians.

The LTTE has strongly denied the allegation of the claymore attack on the bus and has nothing to gain from this horrendous and disturbing attack targeting civilians.

•Why doesn't the Sri Lankan correspondent question the motive for the LTTE to have committed this attack?

•Why doesn't the Sri Lankan correspondent assess the beneficiaries of this massacre?

It is the GOSL and/or the elements opposed to peace that benefit from this massacre of innocent civilians.

The Tamils and the LTTE have been further unjustly isolated in the international arena, by the recent proscription of the LTTE as a terrorist group by Canada and the EU. This has emboldened the GOSL to continue the genocide of the Tamils in the hope of subjugating the Tamils abandoned by the international community.

2.Down-playing/Sugar-coating of Government atrocities against innocent Tamil civilians

Initial versions of the report titled "Fresh Sri Lanka clashes kill many" accuses the LTTE of the attack against the Sri Lankan navy and quoted the Sri Lankan Navy accusing the LTTE for the grenade attack on the Mannar church in yesterday's fighting.

The updated version of the same report mentions with ambiguity the Mannar church attack but fails to mention who was involved in the attack.

The reader is left with the impression that the 'non-state' actor (in this case the LTTE) that 'allegedly' initiated the naval attack is responsible for the atrocity on the civilians in the church.

With eyewitness accounts and the presence of an international aid worker, the BBC reports that the Sri Lankan forces attacked the Mannar church in the article titled "Sri Lankan forces 'hit church' ".The report goes on to say that the government denied this but said that the church was "caught in the crossfire". However, it fails to say that the GOSL had initially insisted that it was the work of the LTTE.

Here again the BBC sugar-coats the government atrocity, which was a deliberate NOT 'accidental' attack using a grenade and live gunfire on the 200 or so Tamil civilians seeking refugee in the church. One person was widely reported as killed and many injured.

These sorts of crimes targeting civilians seeking refuge in churches and temples were a common occurrence during the war. The Tamils in the NE are faced with these atrocities even during times of peace with the help of censors of the international media.

3.Tamils from the NE of the island faced with the fear of being victims of state genocide are fleeing in the thousands from the government controlled areas to LTTE controlled areas and to India. The BBC when reporting on the fleeing Tamil civilians refers to the victims as Sri Lankans giving the impression that the Sinhalese are also fleeing. This is NOT true. The people seeking refuge in India and LTTE controlled areas are all Tamil victims.

4.It is also very disheartening to note that the BBC has turned a blind eye to the mass demonstrations, by tens of thousands of Tamils around the globe, against the genocide of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government.

5.It is also very sad to note that articles such as the "Sri Lankan forces 'hit church'" that refers to the Sri Lankan forces' attack on the innocent civilians in the church are only short lived in the South Asia section of the website (It was published at 1:08 GMT on the 18th of June and archived well within 8hrs).

As you have stated in your article titled "Sri Lanka: Truth, bias and the BBC " the news of the Tamil struggle published on the international media especially the BBC (given its presence in Sri Lanka ) are paramount in the midst of FALSE propaganda being issued by the government of Sri Lanka.

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June 16, 2006

California State Assemblymember Paul Koretz introduced Assembly Joint Resolution AJR39 in the state legislature to call for the impeachment of President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Passage of this resolution will be determined by a groundswell of support by California residents.

If you are a California resident, please sign the petition today and bring us closer to holding our elected officials accountable for their actions.

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Deputies uncover dead, neglected animals
By LeAnn Eckroth, Senior Staff Writer

Animal carcasses littered the ground.

Horses were so hungry they were eating their own feces.

Dogs were chained up without food or water.

Authorities discovered the grisly scene this week in rural Grenora and arrested a woman for mistreating animals.

Kim Lester, 41, was released on 10 percent cash to apply toward $2,000 bond Friday on two counts of maltreatment of animals, both Class A misdemeanors.

Lester appeared Friday with her attorney Shane Peterson before Northwest District Judge Gerald Rustad on allegations of mistreatment of numerous horses, livestock and dogs on a farmstead about six miles southwest of Grenora.

According to a report released by the Williams County Sheriff's Office, many of the 84 horses, 50 dogs and 30 birds - turkeys and chickens - were confined to a very small space on the 330 acres of property, and had not received food or water for several days.

Rustad ordered Lester to remove all animals from her property within five days, and to notify law enforcement what is being done with the animals and where they are being placed. She must make arrangements for the animals' proper care.

According Williams County Deputy Verlan Kvande, who headed the investigation, 45 livestock, including horses and cows, were penned into a 50-by-60-foot area, and numerous dogs were staked out throughout the property, chained up without food or water or were confined in small animal carriers in other buildings on the farmstead. The other 40 livestock animals were found in an overgrazed pasture.

"There was one 8-by-10-foot shed with the doors and windows closed that had no ventilation," Kvande said. "It had half a dozen chickens and eight dogs in pet carrier cages. There was a horrendous smell of defecation, urination and chickens. There was no food or water for the dogs. There was some water for the chickens, but it was really moldy .... The smell was overpowering."

After receiving numerous reports about conditions of the farmstead from concerned citizens, authorities investigated and found enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant for the farm site.

"There were complaints of dead animals in the pasture and mistreatment of animals," said Kvande.

Executing the search warrant on Thursday, Williams County Sheriff deputies and North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents who investigated the scene reported finding eight horse carcasses and three dog carcasses in a pasture on the property.

Several animals were found to be in a small pen and unable to move around, or placed in small carriers in three structures on the property.

"A veterinarian who accompanied authorities in the investigation confirmed that there was evidence of neglect and malnourishment of the animals, and it was an extended ongoing pattern," said Lt. Earl Innis of the Williams County Sheriff's Office.

Animals also showed signs of possible staff infection, ringworm and sores, said the veterinarian.

Williams County State's Attorney Nicole Foster, who is prosecuting the case, described the farmstead and conditions of the animals a public health hazard.

"The horses were so hungry, they were eating their own feces," said Deputy Verlan Kvande, who headed the probe. "They had automated watering systems, but they had not been turned on."

During the investigation of the property, deputies and law officers tended to the animals, said Innis. They remained on the scene for over three hours.

Lester was also ordered not to board or possess animals while the court case continues, and the court order also includes a search clause of Lester's property that allows authorities to check for other animals.

"To my knowledge, she has made contacts with humane societies around the state to find shelter for the animals," Kvande said.

If convicted, Lester could face a maximum sentence of two years in prison and $4,000 in fines.

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June 2, 2006

Legalize all Safe and Sane Fireworks in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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May 26, 2006

New York State Divorce Reform.

Regressive matrimonial and divorce laws need to be reformed.

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May 24, 2006

Her Excellency URSULA PLASSNIK,
The Foreign Minister of Austria
(The Presidency of EU)
Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Minoritenplatz 8
A-1014 Wien
Austria
May 24th, 2006

Her Excellency,

Re: The European Union ban of the LTTE will not yield peace in this troubled nation.

The International Community(IC) and European Union (EU) had failed to put adequate pressure in action on the Sri Lankan leaders to address the legitimate Tamils grievances which was widely accepted by the IC for well over fifty years.

Especially within the last four years of peace process, the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) had the best opportunity to put forward an alternate solution through negotiation with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). There were number of agreements reached between the negotiating parties.

Instead of implementing those agreements to move forward the peace process towards the permanent peace the State cunningly used the peace time to divide the Tamils and the LTTE and unleashed the worst form of terror against them covertly and overtly.

If EU is to take serious note, any decision arrived in these last four years of peace talks never implemented by the GOSL on the ground. The latest and most deplorable act of the GOSL was failure of the non implementation of IC and EU pushed the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (PTOMS) agreement which was signed between LTTE and GOSL.

The PTOMS agreement merely an aid distribution mechanism to the Tsunami affected Tamil victims. This agreement was also tossed by the state into dust bin but IC or EU was not able to force or penalize the Sri Lankan state for the non implementation of that agreement.

These are the real reasons for the current impasses for the peace process and the upsurge of violence in Sri Lanka. This violence was systematically unleashed by the Sri Lankan state to distract and divert the attentions of the IC and EU.

The Tamils were continuously denied their legitimate rights after the British rule and all form of democratic expressions of the non violent Tamils were dealt with brutal heavy handedly by the Sri Lankan rulers and its forces.

The genocide against the Tamils were systematically unleashed in 1958, 1961, 1974 and 1977 where thousands of thousands Tamil men, women and children were massacred in cold blood and perished in the hands of the terror state of Sri Lanka. Millions of Tamils were forced to displace from their homes and their hard earned properties were destroyed to call the Tamils into submission.

The LTTE was not existed in the time of the above genocides against the Tamils. The sustained state terrorism against their own Tamil citizens only forced the Tamils to defend themselves; the LTTE came into existence to defend the grand agenda of Total annihilation of Tamils from Sri Lanka by the state rulers.

We Tamils are oppressed for well over fifty years by the successive Sri Lankan governments. We should not be victimized and vilified by the International Community when we turn to LTTE to protect us from horrific sustained state terror against us for so long. Tamils used the arms struggle as a last resort to protect themselves from the complete annihilation by the Sri Lankan Sinhalese rulers and its armed forces.

It is the global and moral duty of the International Community including EU to do everything possible to see the true plight of Tamils and help them from total annihilation by the Singhalese rulers in Sri Lanka and
help them to achieve just and fair solution to their longstanding
legitimate struggle.

I urge the Your Excellency, not to yield to the pressure by the Sinhalese leaders to ban the Tigers in EU countries. The EU ban will further strengthen the Sinhalese hardliners' and hawkish rulers' grand agenda of committing genocide against the Tamils by isolating the Tamils and LTTE from the International Community.

Yours truly,
Tamils around the world

More informaion and Photos

http://nesohr.org/human-rights-reports/
http://www.tchr.net
http://tamilink.org.uk/tl/
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/eelam/hrights/
http://www.tamilnation.org/humanrights.htm
http://www.nitharsanam.com/?art=17276
http://www.nitharsanam.com/?nav=5785

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May 03, 2006

Coach Bozeman was informed that he will no longer be the wrestling caoch for high school.

Coach Bozeman not only took McCreary Central to State tournament (in which several of the wrestlers placed), he also help make Elementary wrestlers
State Champions.

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May 1, 2006

This petition is calling for an effort to bring the alternative fuel E85 ethanol to the state of Louisiana, as there is not one at the present time.

There is currently an alternative fuel availible in this country called E85 ethanol. It is made from corn, a quite renewable resource, and has been proven better for the environment than the fuels that we presently use.

E85 ethanol helps to reduce green house gas and smog-forming emissions and our dependence on petroleum.

E85 also has a positive effect on your vehicle, improving its performance by having a higher octane rating than gasoline. This allows greater horsepower and torque.

Perhaps the most beneficial reason for E85 is the fact that it will support the domestic agriculture industry of the United States because of the availibility of the product of corn and other grains in our own country.

The State of Louisiana presently has NO locations for the purchase of E85 ethanol. We can all make a difference by showing a sincere effort for this cause.

This petition is to show that the citizens of Louisiana care about the energy industry and would appreciate the availibility of E85 in our state.

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April 16, 2006

In October, 2005, The Oregon State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners chose to reduce fines -- from $20,0000 to $500 -- against Lee Anderson.

Mr. Anderson was practising veterinary medicine without a license, and "in the course of attempting to castrate four horses and ponies, severed the penises of two," one of whom had to be euthanized. Yet the State Vet Board chose to reduce fines against this butcher to 1/40th of the proposed amount!!!

Who is Oregon protecting, pets or their unlicensed butchers? Sign this petition as an act of censure against the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

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March 26, 2006

Governor Corzine has proposed a $30.9 billion state budget that will impose higher taxes and fees on anyone who smokes, drinks alcohol, uses water, drives a car and purchases any merchandise subject to the state sales tax.

Stop NJ Tax Hikes is a statewide coalition of concerned citizens who are fighting to defeat Governor Corzine's budget proposal.

Join the debate and help us defeat these burdensome tax hikes.

Sign the petition today!

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March 24, 2006

Hutcheson Hall on East Tennessee State University has been undergoing renovation for the past year.

As the Family and Consumer Sciences Department, we are striving to update our image while providing students with a higher level of education.

Technology is a key factor to providing students with effective learning. Our classrooms are currently out-of-date and need immediate attention.

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March 21, 2006

Did you know that in South Australia we have very unique car tinting laws to that of every other state.

On the front side windows, the tint has to be lighter than the back with 70% light transmittance and 35% on the back. This makes for very ugly cars and it also makes it near impossible for people bringing in cars to be registered from interstate, as they have to remove the tint. It also makes it difficult and more expensive to comply with SA law, as most tinters will make it more expensive to use different tints.

Every other state allows 35% tint all over, so why not SA? Let's change this and make it easier and cheaper for people in SA to get car tint, while also making it easier to move from interstate to SA.

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March 20, 2006

The State of Florida makes searching for biological families very difficult.

By state law and adoptee is required to petition the courts to open their adoption records. Once the adoption has been finalized the records are sealed. Most of the time they cannot be opened unless for medical reasons and even then it is an uphill battle.

I am petitioning the governor to change that law, because adoptees are entitle to know about their biological families just like everyone else.

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Update: June 6, 2006

The online petition helped our protest movement a lot and attracted lots of attention. More than 5000 people signed the petition and it was submitted to the Department of Health. We are still awaiting the final result of our protest movement.

March 19, 2006

This petition has been started by Overseas Doctors Working in UK to appeal against the new unjust rules imposed on them by the United Kingdom authorities.

This online petition will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Health by April 15th, 2006 and complements the peaceful protest march scheduled to be held by overseas doctors in London as well as the paper petition being collected by various overseas doctors associations.

Ever since the inception of the National Health Service in UK, Overseas Doctors/ International Medical Graduates (IMGS) have contributed to it by their hard work and dedication. They filled a hard felt need for skilled doctors to provide the British public with quality health care. They came here as they were promised quality training and Equal Opportunities in job selection.

Now, the UK government has introduced new regulations effective from July 2006, which has effectively curtailed all training arrangements for overseas doctors in one go. Instead of Permit Free training, they will be required to have work permit for any post they apply.

Also, employers will have the right to preferentially employ UK/EU graduates in favour of non-EU doctors, irrespective of skills or qualification and irrespective of visa status. This effectively ends the Equal Opportunities policy and favours discrimination.

This policy was announced without any consultation or grace period and has left thousands of IMGs high and dry. While some form of manpower planning was definitely required in view of the job crisis facing junior doctors, the precipitate manner in which this has been done is highly objectionable. The implications are far reaching. These include:

·New doctors who have invested time and money to come to UK, believing the promise of Equal Opportunities find that their career is ruined.

·For those already here, they will have to stop their training here halfway and go out of UK or try for non-training posts, with no career progression.

·Those who are finishing their training will find that all their training and qualifications do not matter in job selection and they will never use their hard earned skills at Consultant level.

This petition is addressed to Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP, Secretary of State for Health requesting her to give this matter her urgent attention.

We request Ms. Hewitt to make an urgent solution to the immense disruption to career, personal and family life which overseas doctors are facing as a result of these new rules. Many of these doctors have been working hard in the NHS and serving the British public for several years.

This petition appeals to the good sense of the authorities to :

·Repeal these unjust rules.
·Reintroduce the Equal Opportunities Policy in medical job selection and end discrimination based on country of origin.
·Start a process of consultation for finalising a consensus.

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March 18, 2006

For Federal & State Governments of Australia.

THIS PETITION IS TO STOP THE USE OF UNNECESSARY FENCING OF BARBED WIRE ON HORSE PROPERTIES AND WHERE PETS AND CHILDREN ARE SITUATED.

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February 27, 2006

Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
Ex Chief Minister of State & Leader of Opposition Party.

Respected Sir,

Chilkur Balaji Temple situated in Osmansagar (Chilkur village), Hyd is the only Temple in the World that boasts of not having a 'Hundi' and does not discriminate among any devotees based on their social status.

Devotees are NOT EXPECTED to make any MONETARY OFFERINGS neither are they accepted. The temple run by the Head Priest, Sri Soundara Rajan is being maintained well & the Lord is answering devotees prayers in bountiful.

The taking over of the Temple by the Endowments Department WILL introduce the 'Hundi' system and other special darshans for the VIP's. The common man who has been able to have darshan of the Lord JUST LIKE ANY OTHER VIP will be DENIED this privilege. Devotees will have to BUY tickets to have darshan of the Lord and more than anything else, it will lead to the COMMERCIALISATION of the Temple.

As you are aware that there is currently an ongoing agitation regarding the taking over of the temple by the Endowments Department; As the Ex Chief Minister of the State and a strong Leader of the Opposition Party, I expect COMPLETE SUPPORT from YOU towards the Temple Protection Movement.

We HOPE you will HELP US in seeing Chilkur Balaji Temple being taken care of by the same Archaka family, run on the SAME PRINCIPLES.

This is POSSIBLE ONLY WHEN NOT engulfed by the Endowments.

Thanks for your support.
Snigdha Reddy.

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February 15, 2006

At this certain high school, there was once a great teacher. After our state-wide enlgish test was completed, we all found out that he was gone.

Why? We have no clue. He was the best of the best, being funny, kind, and encouraging. All we know is...

We want MR FERGUSON!

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February 12, 2006

We began the petition last week and intend to bring it with us when we visit our local Congressional delegates to urge them to take this issue seriously.

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February 11, 2006

A daughter's plea

Ruth Sharon Hoffman disappeared from River Rouge, Michigan, nearly TWENTY years ago.

Her only daughter,Debbie, has NEVER given up trying to find her.

We are now asking the State Attorney General of Michigan to open an COMPLETE investigation.

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Feb 10, 2006

Footscray police in flag heist
Michael Ascroft, Melbourne

Just two days after a deliberately burned Australian flag was put on display above a Footscray street, it was seized by police. The flag was installed outside Trocadero Art Space for the exhibition Proudly unAustralian by Melbourne artist Azlan McLennan. The provocative artwork was intended to be on public display for Australia Day.

McLennan commented to Green Left Weekly about "the audacity of the police to refuse to recognise how many Indigenous and Muslim Australians take offence to the Australian flag". He asked: "Does this mean that every time I see an Australian flag in public, or every bit of corporate advertising for that matter, that I can call Footscray police to have it promptly removed?" According to McLennan, "the law requires a reasonable amount of notice be given" so artists have the opportunity "to choose to remove the work themselves".

From Green Left Weekly, February 8, 2006.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/

For further info go to http://www.azlanmclennan.org/press5_trocadero.html

Or to view the transcript of the ABC 7.30 Report's interview with Azlan McLennan: 'Art prompts call for flag-burning law change' go to http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1563582.htm
Broadcast: 06/02/2006

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Feb 02, 2006

Free Charles Pearcy IV.

We are family members and friends who are deeply concerned about the incarceration of Charles Lewis Pearcy IV.

Our concerns involve more than our relationship with Charles. We also are taxpayers, and we are concerned about the ineffective use of public funds attributable to the incarceration of wrongfully convicted people.

We also believe the very act of incarcerating an innocent individual is morally and ethically wrong.

We, after having reviewed the available facts and information in the case of Charles Lewis Pearcy IV conclude that:

The known facts and evidence in this case prove his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. (For information go to www.freeCLP.com)

There are wrongful convictions occurring in our courts at an alarming rate. We, as voting, taxpaying citizens of the United States of America expect our tax dollars to be well spent, and that criminals, not innocents will pay the price for wrongdoings.

We, as citizens, share the same concerns about crime that others do. But our collective observation is that the "system" is often a large part of the problem instead of being a viable element or its solution. Although the crime rate is currently dropping, the rate of incarceration in our country is rising.

Our "Tough on Crime" stance has not been a deterrent to the social problems that we have labeled crimes. Until some reason is restored concerning the number of wrongful convictions, and until we are willing to decriminalize social issues, accidents and psychological illnesses, the problems will remain unsolved.

We are seeking justice in this case, in demanding that the authorities of the State of West Virginia immediately take steps to ensure that a retrial be held or absolute pardon be granted.

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January 26, 2006

Rapist's 60 DAY Prison Sentence Triggers Outrage

Burlington, Vermont -- January 4, 2005

There was outrage Wednesday when a Vermont judge handed out a 60-day jail sentence to a man who raped a little girl many, many times over a four-year span starting when she was seven.

The judge said he no longer believes in punishment and is more concerned about rehabilitation.

Prosecutors argued that confessed child-rapist Mark Hulett, 34, of Williston deserved at least eight years behind bars for repeatedly raping a littler girl countless times starting when she was seven.

But Judge Edward Cashman disagreed explaining that he no longer believes that punishment works.

"The one message I want to get through is that anger doesn't solve anything. It just corrodes your soul," said Judge Edward Cashman speaking to a packed Burlington courtroom. Most of the on-lookers were related to a young girl who was repeatedly raped by Mark Hulett who was in court to be sentenced.

The sex abuse started when the girl was seven and ended when she was ten. Prosecutors were seeking a sentence of eight to twenty years in prison, in part, as punishment.

"Punishment is a valid purpose," Chittenden Deputy Prosecutor Nicole Andreson argued to Judge Edward Cashman.

"The state recognizes that the court may not agree or subscribe to that method of sentencing but the state does. The state thinks that it is a very important factor for the court to consider," Andreson added.

But Judge Cashman explained that he is more concerned that Hulett receive sex offender treatment as rehabilitation. But under Department of Corrections classification, Hulett is considered a low-risk for re-offense so he does not qualify for in-prison treatment. So the judge sentenced him to just 60 days in prison and then Hulett must complete sex treatment when he gets out or face a possible life sentence.

Judge Cashman also also revealed that he once handed down stiff sentences when he first got on the bench 25 years ago, but he no longer believes in punishment.

"I discovered it accomplishes nothing of value;it doesn't make anything better;it costs us a lot of money; we create a lot of expectation, and we feed on anger," Cashman explained to the people in the court.

The sentence outraged the victim's family who asked not to be identified.

"I don't like it," the victim's mother,in tears, told Channel 3. "He should pay for what he did to my baby and stop it here. She's not even home with me and he can be home for all this time, and do what he did in my house," she added.

Hulett -- who had been out on bail-- was taken away to start his sentence immediately.

After issuing the original sentence, Cashman was attacked by commentators on TV and on the Internet. On Fox News, Bill O'Reilly told viewers as video of Cashman rolled: "You may be looking at the worst judge in the USA." Gov. James Douglas called on the judge to resign, and several lawmakers demanded his impeachment.

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